McKew attacks childcare staff ratio

The Australian: Kevin Rudd’s handpicked adviser on childcare has attacked the current ratio of one carer to five babies as “not good enough” and warned the Government may link future funding to improved standards.

In the wake of celebrated children’s author Mem Fox’s claim that childcare for very young babies is “child abuse”, parliamentary secretary for early education and childcare Maxine McKew said today that a better ratio might be closer to one carer to every three children under the age of two.